Disasters come in Threes
by Dirtkid123
Summary: Taken from a rp I did with pepper.pxtts on instagram.


A/N: This is really not Wanda friendly, as I hate her character. If you even slightly like her, don't read this. Also, there are mentions of miscarriage, and other death.. so avoid this if you are likely to get triggered.

Pepper sat on the floor in the Avengers compound. Her legs were crossed and she was leant back against Tony's legs. She hadn't been sat down that long. Her main priority was the Avengers. She had been up and down and up and down, padding lightly from room to room as she tried to keep everyone comfortable and happy.

There was a loud harsh storm outside that had meant that the Avengers and co were staying at the tower. It was rare they had a storm this bad where even Thor couldn't help but Pepper as usual was extremely well prepared. She had left everyone in the living room whilst she hurried around getting blankets and making coffees. She had stood and washed up on her own and cleaned everywhere before ensuring that everyone had enough clean clothes to last them a few days.

Once everything was sorted she finally sat down, tucking her long hair behind her ears. The reddish blonde locks fell down around her shoulders like a waterfall at sunset as her sapphire eyes sparkled in the rays of light from the lamp.

She shivered, pulling Tony's jacket tighter around her body as she stood up. She headed towards the kitchen, pulling her red hair up into a ponytail as she walked. "Same coffees as last time?" She asked softly, putting down another pile of warm blankets from the dryer onto the table.

It was cold in the tower due to the raging storm outside.

The wind howled viciously and the rain pummelled the windows, every so often followed by a loud rumble of thunder and a flash of lightning, lighting up the entire room through the windows.

The woman stood up and disappeared for a few minutes and soon came back and plugged in multiple heaters. "Here this should help..." She crossed the room to the kitchen, soon returning with everyone's next coffee.

Finally, her small body nestled close to Tony but then she stood back up.

"Does anyone need anything else?"

Storms were always a challenge for Tony. The rain was loud and it messed with the arc reactor in his chest. For whatever reason, Just like the elderly ones with arthritis, Tony could feel a dull ache before every storm.. he always hid this from everyone. Back to the situation at hand, This Storm was a doozy. Even Thor couldn't solve anything.. and it was really messing with Tony's chest. Arching into Pepper's side, the superhero tried not to wince at the jostle of his chest when it brushed against her. Evidently it didn't work, because soon he could feel all of the rooms occupants stare at him.

"Hey."

Pepper wrapped her arms tighter around him, shielding his chest with her body.

"I got you." She whispered softly, pressing a soft kiss to his head.

"You're okay come on." She purred gently, wrapping a blanket around him tightly as she nuzzled against him.

"Honestly what are we gonna do with you Hm?"

Her small hands ran through his hair softly, her hair brushing his neck.

Pepper knew she would die before she let anything else hurt Tony.

As Pepper cuddled with him, Tony relaxed into her touch. There was always something soothing about her hands in his hair.. even though it should have made him feel creeped out, because Obie used to do this too, for whatever reason, it didn't. He felt safe.. and loved. Feeling the love and warmth radiating off from Pepper made all the Avengers stares matter less.

Pepper laid her head on his shoulder, her body still protecting the arc reactor. Protecting him.

"I'm here." She whispered, nuzzling against him like a kitten.

"It'll be over soon I'm sure."

The power suddenly went out and she stiffened in fear; She hated the dark.

Feeling the stiffening in Peppers body, Tony reluctantly uncovered his eyes and saw that it was still dark. Quickly figuring out that the power must have been out, Tony got up and trudged over to the staircase. Climbing down to the basement where the power grid was, Tony puzzled over why the power went out in his state of the art, arc reactor powered, Stark tower. He mused, Maybe this wasn't a regular storm. And yet that still didn't solve the problems at hand. Finally figuring out the problem Tony worked his "magic" and got the lights back on, his chest throbbing.

After getting the power back on, Tony climbed back upstairs, snuggling back into the waiting arms of Pepper.

Pepper whimpered quietly, burying her face into the warmth of Tony's neck.

She was frightened of storms.

"My head hurts." She whispered to Tony. Pepper never mentioned any pain unless it really hurt.

She had gone pale in Tony's absence.

She snuffled into the soft material of his shirt, closing her eyes tightly as she held part of his shirt in her fist. Her head was throbbing, causing her to feel sick. She had started to shake slightly in his arms.

Tony glanced down at his sniffling girlfriend, tucking herself into his shirt. Getting more and more concerned, Tony asked JARVIS to scan her vitals. On receiving the results, the man puzzled over the fact that the scans couldn't find anything wrong, besides a minor headache. "Pep?" Tony whispered. "What's wring with your head? JARVIS isn't picking up anything major.. can you tell me what's wrong?"

"I feel sick." Pepper whispered, unable to even raise her head. All colour had totally drained from her skin. She looked almost lifeless.

She was scratching at her arms, leaving dark marks from her nails, desperately trying to distract herself from the agonising pain in her head.

Now Tony was getting really concerned.. all that was flashing through his mind was that Pepper was dying.. "stop it Tony.. this isn't the time for your stupid panic attacks.. can't you see that Pepper is dying?! Don't make it all about you again.." Tony's inner thoughts whispered. "What can I do to help you, Pep?" He murmured.

"I wannajust..." Peppers voice trailed off as she went limp in his arms, her body flopping against him like a rag doll. Her head rolled forwards against his neck.

"Pepper? Pepper?!" Tony cried out, ordering JARVIS to call an ambulance. By now the Avengers had all gone their separate ways, and it was only Pepper and Tony lying on the couch.

"M fine." Pepper whispered weakly. She looked sick. "God it hurts Tony..."

"What hurts? What can I do to help?" Tony asked.. "JARVIS! I kinda need that ambulance, now.."

"I don't need an ambulance." Pepper insisted weakly.

She laid in his arms, scratching her body. She was starting to burn up.

"Pepper!" Tony exclaimed. When the EMS finally arrived, Tony rattled off what had happened up to her collapse. Eventually he had to stop, due to the fact that he was working himself into a panic attack.

Pepper winced as she pushed herself up, placing her hand on his cheek.

"I-I-I'm Fine..." She was shaking madly and her eyes were flickering.

"Dr. Stark?, Dr— Dr. Stark?" The paramedic spoke up, hating to break up the moment, but finding it necessary to do so. "We really need to take Ms. Potts to the hospital.."

shaking himself out of whatever stupor he was in, Tony felt something in himself harden, and promised to himself that he would make sure Pepper would be okay.

"No...no...no h...no hospital..." Pepper choked.

She suddenly collapsed to the floor, fitting and shaking. She was unable to breathe.

Despite her pleading for no hospital, Tony felt it prudent to bring her to one.. even though he knew Pepper might never forgive him.. her health and safety was more important than her anger and loathing towards him. "Load her into the ambulance, please." He told the Paramedic.

Pepper went limp on the bed as they began to hook her to machines. She was choking still, unable to breathe.

Her eyes kept flickering open, rolling back into her head.

"We need to do an MRI, and an EKG stat!" The doctors exclaimed, as they rolled Pepper farther and farther away from Tony.

"T-t-Tony..." Pepper whispered, over and over as she tried to get to him. "Tony..." She whispered again weakly.

"Please lie down ma'am.. ma'am!

We need to dose her with something stronger!" The doctors and nurses all circled around Pepper as they pushed her out of the room. All the while, Tony could only watch as things spiraled out of control.

"Tony!"

Pepper raised her voice in a heartbreaking sob before she began to struggle for air again.

"Pepper.." Tony whispered to no one, as he watched as she continued to cry out for him. "Please, Doctor! Please help her!"

Pepper went silent suddenly but she was shaking. She couldn't breathe at all.

All of a sudden a loud voice startled Tony out of his reverie. As Peppers mother burst into the hospital, she sent a barrage of questions towards Tony's direction.

"Is she breathing? Is she going to survive this?! What happened to my baby, who did this?! Mr. Stark, did you know?!" Tony couldn't help but silently tremble as he processed all of these questions that Mrs. Potts demanded answers for.

An alarm began to ring. Peppers breathing had stopped completely. Her heart was stopping.

Tony stopped listening at this point, and started pushing his way towards the operating room where they were preparing to revive and resuscitate Pepper.

She laid silently, her chest very still. A deathly paleness was creeping up her already pale skin.

"Sir, you can't go in there! Sir, please calm down.. the doctors are doing everything they can.. please sit down." The Nurses stared. Tony kept struggling to make it to Peppers side.

A nurse turned off the machine suddenly. They weren't saving her.

Tony thrashed in the security guards arms, desperate to save Pepper, but only succeeding in tiring himself out. "Please! I need to be with her.. she's dying! Please!" Tony began to hyperventilate as he saw the nurse turn off the machine.

The nurse walked out, leaving Pepper on the bed.

"I'm sorry Mr Stark. She's gone...

"That can't be true.. this is impossible.. this is a conspiracy! Peppers not dead, you're lying! Pepper can't die! She's the strongest person I know! And I live with the Avengers! Please, Pepper.. prove them wrong.. please.." Tony was in hysterics as he spoke; denial on his lips.

"I'm sorry Mr Stark." The nurse smiled sadly and walked away.

Pepper laid on the bed, still and silent. The veins around her wrists and neck were black. Unnaturally black.

"She's been poisoned or something.. her veins aren't supposed to be black, please! Can I get a coroner in here?!" Tony begged. Although no one seemed to believe him, the man knew that something wasn't right here.

No one answered him. Pepper had been murdered and no one could help him.

Hearing no response, Tony let out a shaky sob and sat down at the side of the hospital bed, holding Peppers hand. "Oh, Stark, now you know the pain you've put me through.. and you now see that what happened to her is all your fault." Tony looked up, and saw the nurses and doctors glowing, red eyes. Their stares were everywhere, haunting his every move. There was only one person who had the ability to do this.. one person, who had a vendetta against him.. one woman who had red powers, and the motive.. "Wanda" Tony snarled.

The body of his girlfriend turned pale and cold.

She had been taken from him so quickly and harshly.

"How could you do this?! It's one thing to mind rape me, but Pepper was innocent! Why would you kill her?!" Tony yelled at the doctors under Wanda's control. "To hurt you, is to kill your lover, she was how would you say, Collateral Damage?" Wanda snarled through the Security guard. And no one will ever believe you if you say I did this.. how could I have killed Ms. Potts when I was no where near the location of her death?"

Peppers right hand was clenched tightly in a fist. She was holding something.

Opening up her fist, Tony saw a piece of paper, with an address on it. "You'll find me at this address.. meet me there, alone. If you don't, let's just say that Colonel Rhodes will have an unfortunate accident while in Afghanistan." Wanda smiled as she spoke those last words to Stark, severing the connection to the hospital staff. She had work to do, so that the Merchant of Death would never again walk amongst the living.

A slow trickle of blood ran from the side of Peppers mouth. He hadn't been able to save her.

Kissing her forehead, Tony silently allowed three tears to slip down his cheek. One for Pepper, One for Rhodey, and one for himself, for he knew that he wouldn't survive.. but perhaps Rhodey could.

The only woman who had only ever stood by his side forever had been taken from him. He could never get her back.

Tony began Flying to the address, grief and death clouding his thoughts. Even if Wanda ended up breaking their deal, and killing Rhodey anyway, he knew that he would still finish this, or die trying. And who knows, maybe, if he was lucky, he would end up in whatever afterlife Pepper was in. Tony arrived at the warehouse, with

"Iron Man" playing in the suits speakers. He knew that he was most likely standing at his deathbed, but he was strangely at peace with it all. FRIDAY was at the ready, secretly broadcasting the entire showdown.. and Tony knew that there was no possible way for Wanda to shut it off..

This was for Pepper, and he would Avenger her, no matter the cost.

A scream cut through the speakers suddenly.

"Let me go!" It was Peppers voice. She sounded frightened and hurt.

Pepper was alive?! Tony races to the source of the scream, searching desperately for the woman who cried out for help. "This could be a trap" Tony's subconscious whispered, but as his heart beat faster and faster, His traitorous mind yelled back "what if it is really her?"

"I'm coming Pep!" Wanda smirked at the security footage, knowing that Peppers cry would lead Tony right to his girlfriend.. and into Wanda's trap.

Pepper kicked at the door as she sobbed.

"Wanda let me out!" She screamed. She felt sick. There was a knife in her stomach.

"Pepper!" Tony shouted. Upon arriving to the locked room, he used his unibeam to cut open the door. As soon as he saw his beautiful, fiery and very alive girlfriend, Tony immediately let out a relieved sob. Rushing towards her, he suddenly saw that she had a knife in her stomach. Looking around for any cameras/bugs, Tony let out a destructive EMP blast, that affected all the tech in the warehouse, including the security cameras. "Let's get you out of here, Pep.." Tony knew that he would regret leaving without ensuring Wanda was dead, but Pepper was more important. Suddenly a chilling laugh was surrounding Tony's senses.. he felt himself slipping unconscious, but before that happened, he whispered to FRIDAY, to get Pepper out of the warehouse, and back to one of his safehouses. A couple seconds later and he was completely limp, trapped in his worst nightmare.

When Pepper saw this, she decided to ignore Fridays instructions: her slim arms wrapping around her boyfriends body. "I'm here baby."

Tony was stuck. Encased in his own nightmare, where the Avengers failed to save the world from the Chitauri, Ultron wiped out everyone he loved, and Wanda came to finish the job. He knew that he would never again hear a loving word from a loved one.. instead, he would evermore hear every negative word and criticism, said by both strangers, friends, and family. "I'm here baby..." was an echo that swirled around him, an unattainable fog that Tony desperately tried to lean into. But the words were as solid as air.

"I'm here." Pepper repeated, her hands holding onto him tightly. "Don't let me die Tony...please don't let me die..."

"I'm here." The ghost of Peppers voice pleaded, for Tony not to let her die. "How can I help?!" Tony exclaimed.

"You're already gone.. and it's because of me." "Tony.. please don't let me die." The realization that Pepper's desperation and pleading was in present tense jolted through Tony's subconscious. Meaning she could still die.. which meant that she was still alive! Struggling through the vision that was echoing through his mind, Tony focused on centering himself and his mind. Clearing away the thoughts of death, and destruction, he replayed old and new memories of his family; Pepper, Rhodey, Happy, Edwin and Ana Jarvis, JARVIS, FRIDAY, DUM-E, U, and BUTTERFINGERS..

and suddenly Tony opened his eyes.

Wanda screeched in fury as she realized that her plan had failed.

Pepper had laid on the floor, struggling to breathe. She was still gripping Tony's hand tightly.

"You may've bested my mental illusions, but I can still kill you two with the flick of my wrist! You haven't won yet!" Wanda yelled enraged as Tony seemingly disappeared, using his suit's invisibility cloaking tech. "Ah, Potts.. I guess your beloved Stark left you behind.. he must not love you as much as he claims he does.." Wanda taunted sardonically.

Pepper turned her head slowly. She was pale with cold sweat running down her body.

"He will destroy you..."

"Unbelievable. You still believe that he actually cares about you?! Face it Potts, the only one he cares for is himself.." as Wanda gloated, Tony silently crept up behind her, and whipped out the patented power restricting collar.. double checking that FRIDAY was still recording, he silently switched the collar on. As Wanda's cruel and merciless taunting prattled on, Tony pounced and shot her in her chest. While she was distracted by the pain, he then collared her tightly, and watched as her powers fizzled out into nothingness.

Pepper panted softly in agony as she watched the scene unfold.

"Told you." She whispered.

"Pepper, I need to get you some help." Tony replied. "Save your strength.. help is on the way."

Now that the ambulances and federal agents had arrived, they took the Scarlet Witch, and carted her off to super human jail, to await her trial. Pepper, was taken by the EMS, and sent to a proper hospital. As Tony followed the ambulance in his iron man suit, he spoke to FRIDAY, leaving her with clear instructions on what to do while Pepper recovered.

"FRIDAY, please alert the Avengers, and the press; Wanda Maximoff is from here on out, persona non grata at all SI and Stark functions/properties. That's if she ever gets out of the prison, that they've made for super humans who are unable to rehabilitate and reform. If there are any arguments, then please, be a doll and release the footage from today."

"Of course Boss.. and I've already taken the liberty of alerting Colonel Rhodes and Mr. Hogan of the altercation between the three of you. "Thank you FRIDAY. Now please get us out of here.. "

That evening, Pepper slipped into a coma. She was still extremely weak.

It hadn't been her who had died. But this time, her life was in danger.

A nurse walked in.

"Mr Stark? I'm sorry but we couldn't save the baby."

A baby.. Pepper was pregnant? Tony felt tears stream down his face, as he realized that she had lost their child.. "The baby was a girl." A girl.. a beautiful baby girl, who would now never be able to grow up.. and live a happy life. "Pepper and I had always said that if we ever had a baby, we would name the child Morgan.. we might have lost our baby, but I will not lose her mother as well.. do whatever you need to do, to keep her alive. She's my everything.." Tony said, grief stricken.

Months had passed, and Tony didn't think Pepper would ever wake up.. but after the doctors had mentioned pulling the plug, for the fourth time, Tony had lost all hope. Just as her mother was about to give her consent to remove the life support Pepper's eyes began to flutter. Tony rushed to her bedside, and laughed in relief as he saw her smiling back at him.


End file.
